Acetylene-lamp.



N0. 635,366L Pafented 0st. 24, I899.

r. L. WHITE. ACETYLENE LAMP. (Application filed Nov. 19, 1898.)

I I Inv entor.

W itnesses.

Attorney.

'ru: mums Ptrzns ab, wuoroumo. WASHINGTON. o. c.

NlTE STATES FREDERICK L. WHITE, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNQR TOGEORGE H. CLOWES, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,366, dated October24, 1899. Application filed November 19, 1898. Serial No. 696,846. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Beitknown that I, FREDERICK L. WHITE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAcetylene Lamps, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in acetylene-lamps,and hasparticular reference to the carbid-receptacle and water-feed devices.

It is the object of my invention to improve the construction of suchdevices by making their structure simple and economical, with few partsthat are not easily disarranged or liable to be clogged by the carbid,and designed so that they can be easily cleaned and be subjected tocontinued and repeated usage,

as well as to add materially to the efficiency of the whole lamp.

To this end my invention consists of the improvements in acetylene-lampsas hereinafter set forth, and more particularly pointed out in theclaims.

Referring to the drawings, in which like acetylene-lamp with myimprovements attached. Fig. 2 is afragmentary elevation of the feed-tubemechanism. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the carbid-receptacle. Fig. at is atransverse sectional view of the carbid-recep- 1 tacle, showing themethod of using the same for a small charge of carbid.

I have illustrated in Fig. 1 a section of one form of an acetylene-lampto which my improvements may be attached, but do not limit myself to alamp of such construction, as the devices invented by me and hereinafterdescribed may be used with any lamp burning acetylene or other analogousgases. In the said figure the numeral 1 designates the lamp-base, whichis of circular form, the interior being the gas-chamber, 2 the separablebottom, 3 the Water-reservoir, 4 the watertube connecting the reservoirand the valve 5, 6 the valve-stem, 7 the burner, and 8 the tube leadingfrom the gas-chamber to the burner.

The carbid-receptacle is composed of the two members 9 and 10, of cupshape, the head of each of which is perforated and one of the said cupsbeing fitted telescopically within the other. Through the center of thehead of the cup 9 isa triangular perforation 9 of considerably largerarea than the other perforations.

I prefer to make both of the shells of substantially the same size andlarge enough to hold a single charge of carbid, so that either may beused as a measure to determine the eX- act amount of cal-bid for asinglecharge. This is an importantfeature, for in lamps heretofore made wherethe carbid-receptaole is susceptible of repeated use no means have beendevised to accomplish this end, the operator depending entirely upon hisown judgment to ascertain the exact amount of each charge. If the chargeshould be too large, the excess expansion of the receptacle materiallyaffects the usefulness of thelamp and the full amount of the carbidcannot be consumed, while if the charge is too small a too-frequentrecharging of the receptacle is necessary.

Within the shells 9 and 10 and against the inside of the perforatedheads are inserted disks of blotting-paper 11 12 or other like absorbentmaterial. These disks, by means of the perforations in theheads of theshells, absorb the moisture and water formed in the gas-chamber bycondensation and transmit it to the calcium carbid, thus insuring a drygas-chamber and preventing the accumulation of a wet gas which burnswith an uneven light. WVhen the disks are inserted and the receptaclefilled with carbid, it is placed in the gas-chamber, the end of thewater-feed tube entering through the triangular perforation 9,puncturing the disk 11, and passing down through the carbid nearly tothe bottom of the lower shell. Lateral displacement of the receptacle isprevented by the water-feed tube, and the coil-spring 13,which bearsupon the top of the shell 9, prevents the receptacle from jumping up anddown while allowing the same to expand as the carbid deteriorates. Aslight rap upon the edge 1O will jar out the lime residue within theshell 10 and the reoeptacle is ready for another charge. By

turning the edge of the shell 10 outward, as

at 10, any dents or burs formed therein by striking the same to removethe lime residue will not interfere with the two shells operatingtogethertelescopically. In Fig. iis illustrated the manner of using thereceptacle for a smaller charge of carbid, the top shell being simplyinverted, as can be clearly under stood from the drawings.

The water-feed devices comprise an inner tube 1%, having a head 15, andan outer tube 16, the bottom of which is closed and the upper endinternally threaded to fit upon the externally-threaded head 15, asshown in Fig. 2. Outer tube 16 is pierced near the upper end thereofadjacent to the threaded head 15 by one or more overflow-ports 17 andgasvents 1'1 17. In Fig. 1 the tube 1-; is shown as integral with thecasing of the valve 5 and adapted for use in a lamp of thatparticularconstruction but in Fig.2 itis broken off at the top,intending thereby to show that the tube can be made separate from thevalve,ifdesired, and secured thereto by any of the means common to' theart, or it may be bent or curved to adapt it for any style of lamp, and,further, the head 15 may be integral with the tube 1a and the body ofthe valve 5, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, or it may be separate andat tached to either the valve-body or tube in any well-known mannerwithin my invention. The water is conveyed to the bore 18 of the innertube by any convenient means, after which it drops to the bottom of theouter tube, filling the space between the said inner and outer tubesuntil it reaches the holes 17, when it overflows and runs down theoutside of the tube 16 and into the calcium carbid, which surrounds itslower end. A limited amount of gas accumulates in the tube 16, and toprovide means whereby it may escape, and thus avoid any tendency it mayhave to retard the waterflow, I have devised the gasvents 17 17, whichare in the walls of the tube above the overflow-holes 17.

In water-feed devices heretofore made a fabric or wicking has been usedto distribute the water; but this proved defective in that smallparticles of deteriorated carbid would accumulate thereon and clog theflow of the water, and, again, the heat generated by the formation ofthe gas heated the water passing through the wicking suliicicntly toprevent its flow, all of which conditions impaired the efficiency of thelamp. I11 my devices the use of wicking or fabric is avoided, and as thesmall particles of carbid cannot escape from the carbid-receptacle thewater-supply is never clogged; but if perchauce the particles of carbidshould escape into the gas chamber the construction of the outer tube issuch that the flow of the water would not be affected thereby. Iurthermore, as only the lower portion of the outer tube is heated by thegeneration of gas the flow of water is not impaired by the heat, but, onthe c011- trary, a continuous flow of cool water is obtained. It will beseen that the water is continually flowing through the inner tube,thence between the inner and outer tubes, and finally escapes throughthe overflow-holes. This prevents the water from remaining in thatportion of the tube liable to be heated long enough for its temperatureto be materially affected.

There are many changes that can be made within my invention, and I wouldtherefore have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exactconstruction herein shown and described, but claim all that falls fairlywithin the spirit and scope of my invention.

I am aware that water-feed tubes have been made which comprise an outertube and an inner tube of less diameter than the outer tube, and I donot therefore claim such construction broadly.

.Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an acetylene-lamp having a waterreservoir and a carbid or gaschamber suspended beneath said water-reservoir, the combinationtherewith of a water-feed device connected with the said water-reservoirand projecting into the said carbid -chamber, comprisingan inner tubehaving an open bottom and an outer tube of greater diameter having asolid bottom and one or more overflow-ports, whereby the water mayescape from the said water-reservoir through the said water-feed deviceinto the said carbid-chamber, substantially as described.

2. In an acetylene-lamp,a carbid-receptacle composed of two cup-shapedmembers, one fitting telescopically within the other; one of saidmembers having an enlarged perforation through the head thereof and aplurality of smaller perforations surrounding the same, the otherof saidmembers having a plurality of perforations through its head portion andthe edges at the open end thereof turned outward to forma bellshapedlip, substantially as described.

3. In an acetylene-lamp having a gas-chamber and water reservoir, thecombination therewith of a carbid-receptacle adapted to be insertedwithin the said chamber and comprising two members fittingtelescopically within each other and having disks of blotting-paper orother like absorbent material against the inside of their perforatedheads; and a water-feed device having operative connection with the saidreservoir at its upper end, and the lower end thereof projecting withinthe said receptacle, the said device comprising an outer tube having asolid bottom and overflow ports through the shell thereof, and an innertube of less diameter having an open bottom, within the said outer tube,substantially as described.

4. In an acetylene-lamp having a waterreservoir, as 3, and agenerating-chamber, as 1, suspended beneath said reservoir, thecombination therewith of a carbid receptacle composed of the twocup-shaped members 9 ports 17, all constructed and operating suband 10,a coil-spring 13 inserted above the stantially as described. 10 saidreceptacle and adapted to prevent dis- In testimony whereof I affix mysignature placement thereof, a water-feed device havin presence of twowitnesses.

5 ing operative connection with said reservoir FREDERICK L. WHITE.

and projecting downward into the said gen- Witnesses: erating-chamber,and composed of the inner WILLIAM F. GOELTZ,

tube 14 and outer tube 16, having overflow- GEORGE E. HALL.

